A Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted former banker Christopher Jackson Edeh over a ₦2.7 billion fraud involving the manipulation of bank account records belonging to customers and several government-related institutions.
Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe delivered the judgment on Tuesday, finding Edeh guilty on all nine counts brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Although the individual sentences total 39 years, the court directed that they run concurrently, meaning the longest individual sentence is five years rather than a cumulative 39-year prison term.
The conviction followed a prosecution conducted by the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, which accused the former banker of fraudulent accounting and unauthorised access to a computer system.
According to the anti-graft agency, Edeh manipulated account information linked to several organisations and public institutions with the intention of committing fraud.
Among the accounts identified in the charges were those associated with the Kano State Government Power Intervention Fund, NNPC Trading Limited and Stallion Vision Limited.
Others included the Lagos State Government Blue Line, the State Contributory Pension Account and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University.
The commission alleged that the defendant altered customers’ banking details without authorisation, thereby compromising financial records connected to the affected accounts.
Edeh was initially arraigned on February 28, 2024, before the case proceeded to trial.
During the proceedings, prosecuting counsel Z.B. Atiku presented three witnesses and tendered documentary evidence to support the allegations.
The defence called one witness in response to the prosecution’s case.
After evaluating the evidence and submissions from both sides, Justice Abike-Fadipe ruled that the prosecution had established the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge subsequently convicted Edeh on all nine counts.
For counts one to seven, which concerned fraudulent false accounting, the court imposed five years’ imprisonment on each count without an option of fine.
On counts eight and nine, relating to unauthorised computer access with intent to facilitate criminal activities, Edeh received two years’ imprisonment on each count, also without an option of fine.
The court, however, ordered that all the sentences be served simultaneously.
Consequently, while the sentences add up to 39 years when calculated separately, the concurrent arrangement means Edeh is not required to serve each term consecutively.
The judgment concludes the trial proceedings arising from the EFCC’s investigation into the alleged manipulation of financial records.
The case also highlights the potential consequences of unauthorised access to banking systems, particularly where accounts belonging to public institutions and corporate organisations are involved.
The EFCC’s prosecution resulted in convictions on every count, with the court declining to provide an alternative of fines for any of the offences.
Ezeana Emmanuel
